Department for Transport

Railways

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government to list the restrictive practices they believe exist in the railway industry which hinder its efficiency and modernisation.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, published May 2021, identified six key problems with our railways:The rail sector too often loses sight of its customers, both passengers and freight;It is missing opportunities to meet the needs of the communities it serves;It is fragmented, and accountabilities are not always clear;The sector lacks clear strategic direction;It needs to become more productive and tackle long-term costs;It struggles to innovate and adapt. There are outdated working practices preventing passengers getting the service they pay for and deserve and making the railway cost more than it should to run. To provide funding for an affordable pay rise, we need to leave these outdated working practices in the past and create a railway fit for the future. For instance, under an agreement dating back to 1919, Sunday working is voluntary for most of the railway, leaving operators short staffed and unable to cope with the surge in popularity for weekend travel post-pandemic. Whilst working practices in track maintenance are years behind other sectors and prevents us running the best possible train service.

Eurostar: Ashford International Station

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the decision by Eurostar not to have any of its trains calling at Ashford International station on the economy of east Kent.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Eurostar’s decision to temporarily not stop at Ashford and Ebbsfleet International stations was a commercial decision taken by Eurostar in response to the severe decline in passenger numbers.The Government engages very regularly with Eurostar and continues to monitor very closely the continued impact of COVID-19 on the international rail sector, as well as the decisions taken by companies in response. The Government is keen to see the reinstatement of services to Ashford and Ebbsfleet once it is reasonably possible and commercially viable to do so.

Roads and Waste Disposal: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given, if any, to the approach of France to highways maintenance and waste clearance by comparison with the UK; what lessons they have drawn from any such consideration; and what plans they have, if any, to apply any such lessons in future policy on highways maintenance and waste clearance.

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the reputational impact on England of poor highways maintenance and waste clearance when experienced by visitors arriving from abroad.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: On highway maintenance, the Department has committed National Highways to a set of performance targets on how it delivers a well maintained and resilient Strategic Road Network, which is made up of motorways and principal A-roads in England.On the local road network, local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, as amended, to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network are in need of repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.On waste clearance, Government’s Litter Strategy for England sets out a range of measures to reduce littering within a generation and sits alongside National Highways’ Litter Strategy which is informed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Code of practise on litter and refuse. It commits the organisation to improve the delivery and responsiveness of waste clearance activity as well as partnership working.Street cleaning and litter picking on the local road network is covered by revenue funding provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to relevant Local Authorities.The Government is aware of the importance of having high standards of maintenance and clearance of our highways can have on those travelling on our roads.The Government also gains insight of road users' views via the Strategic Roads User Survey and has set a set of performance metrics that National Highways is committed to, to track its performance in maintaining and clearing the Strategic Road Network.The Government has not given any specific consideration to France’s approach to highways maintenance and waste clearance by comparison with the UK.

M20: Speed Limits

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the M20 three lane carriageway speed limit will be raised from 50 miles per hour given the suspension of Operation Brock and the removal of motorway barriers; and if not, why not.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The moveable barrier remains in place on the London-bound carriageway to allow contractors to resume improvement works that were in place prior to Operation Brock being needed. Both the London-bound and coast-bound carriageways of the M20 continue to operate with two lanes at a 50mph speed limit. Lane three of the coast-bound carriageway is closed until November 2022 to protect the workforce carrying out the works in the central reservation.

Aviation: Standards

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government when they willrespond to the consultation onReforming aviation consumer policy: protecting air passenger rights, which closed on 27 March.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Air passenger rights remains a priority for Government, and the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation aimed to collect views on ways to bolster air passenger rights and support the industry to provide the best service possible for consumers.We are currently conducting a comprehensive review and analysis of responses and will set out next steps shortly.

Railways: Electrification

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution the lack of electrified diversionary routes makes to delays on railways; and what investment plans, if any, they have to deal with such situations.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Since 2010, more than 1,200 miles of electrification has been delivered in Great Britain, including almost 800 miles in England and Wales in the last four years.This increases the number of routes which can be used by electric trains, with further investment in electrification planned.

Electric Scooters

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 28 July (HL1954), whether they will publish the estimated figures of privately owned e-scooters in the UK from (1) 2020, and (2) 2021.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Based on findings from the Department’s Transport and Technology Tracker, we estimate that as of June 2021 roughly 750,000 individuals aged 16+ owned a private e-scooter in England. We currently do not have data for the whole of the UK, or data for 2022.

Electric Scooters: Regulation

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the regulations surrounding the riding of e-scooters.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department is currently considering options, including robust technical requirements, for a new regulatory framework for e-scooters. These regulations will ensure that we increase the safety of e-scooters users and manage the impacts of e-scooters in the UK.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Natural Gas: Storage

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current storage capacity for gas in the UK in terawatt-hours; and what assessment they have made of how this compares to capacity in (1) Germany, (2) Italy, and (3) France.

Lord Callanan: Great Britain has seven gas storage facilities (16.5 terawatt-hours of estimated working gas volume). Britain’s diverse source of gas supply greatly reduces reliance on natural gas storage, distinguishing it from some European countries who lack indigenous gas supply. AGSI European storage data indicates Germany has a capacity of 245TWh, Italy 193TWh and France 132TWh. In addition, according to Rystad Energy data, Britain has the second largest import Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure in Europe, providing 401TWh regasification capacity annually compared to 273TWh/year in France, 123TWh/year in Italy and none in Germany.

Natural Gas: Storage

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what capacity of gas storage is likely to be achieved at the Rough gas site off the coast of Yorkshire for this coming winter.

Lord Callanan: The Government welcomes Centrica taking the necessary steps to seek approvals to re-open the Rough storage facility this winter. Information on the available capacity of the site is a matter for Centrica.

Fracking

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to lift the ban on fracking.

Lord Callanan: Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and restrictions on gas supply to Europe, have emphasised the need for ‘home grown’ sources of energy to reduce our reliance on imports. My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on Thursday 7th September that the Government will end the pause on extracting shale gas

Power Failures

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to prepare for electricity blackouts this winter.

Lord Callanan: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) works closely with network operators, the regulator Ofgem and other stakeholders to ensure that the appropriate technical measures are able to be deployed throughout the year, to ensure the integrity of the energy system.

Fuel Oil: Price Caps

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to cap the price of (1) oil, (2) liquefied petroleum gas, and (3) other heating fuels, not currently covered by the energy price cap.

Lord Callanan: The Government has carefully considered the introduction of a price cap to help domestic fuel customers with high fuel prices, however analysis indicates that a cap would not be in the long-term interests of consumers.The existing gas and electricity price cap was designed to protect consumers on default tariffs from the loyalty penalty, which the Competitions and Markets Authority warned was causing customers to be overcharged. The structure of the heating oil and LPG markets is different and imposing a price cap below wholesale costs would drive companies out of the market, reducing competition and possibly result in supply shortages.

Electricity Interconnectors

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are making maximum use of electricity inter-connectors with (1) France, (2) Norway, (3) Iceland, and (4) other countries; and to what extent such use helps limit price increases.

Lord Callanan: Great Britain has electricity interconnectors with France (4 GW), Norway (1.4 GW), Belgium (1 GW), the Netherlands (1 GW) and the island of Ireland (1 GW). There are currently no electricity interconnectors to Iceland. The Government works closely with National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) and the transmission system operators of all connected countries to ensure that the maximum interconnector capacity is available for use. Increased interconnection promotes competition, leading to reduced consumer bills. Ofgem estimated the net total quantifiable impact on GB consumer welfare to be greater than £20 billion for projects under their regulatory regime, to date.

Energy: Housing

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote energy efficiency in (1) private housing, (2) private rented accommodation, and (3) social housing.

Lord Callanan: In the Net Zero Strategy, we committed to consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable. The Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise heating. We will deliver upgrades to over half a million homes in the coming years through our Social Housing Decarbonisation, Home Upgrade Grant Schemes and Energy Company Obligation Scheme, delivering average bill savings of £500, based on recent price cap estimates. We have also launched a digital service providing impartial, tailored advice on energy efficiency. This will be supported by the launch of additional support for homeowners through telephone advice and specific local area advice for energy consumers.

Electric Scooters: Sales

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Callanan on 26 July (HL1955), what discussions they have had with local Trading Standards regarding retailers selling private e-scooters in the last 12 months.

Lord Callanan: None. Local Trading Standards offices operate independently of central Government and their enforcement priorities are a matter for local authorities.

Pay

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the information regarding Harrods in the article “Amazon gets tough with workers over 35p pay rise”, published in The Sunday Times on 14 August; whether Harrods is classified as a “crucial public service”; whether supermarkets are classified as such; and what other services are included in that designation.

Lord Callanan: The legislation repealing regulation 7 applies to all employers in all sectors. It came into force on 21st July after debates in both houses of Parliament. It gives employers the choice to work with employment businesses to find suitably qualified staff when they are facing industrial action and offers agency workers the freedom to accept roles replacing staff on strike if they wish. It does not affect the ability of workers to go on strike and existing protections for striking workers are maintained. It does, however, balance the right to strike against the right of employers and third parties not to suffer disproportionate disruption. This is particularly important as we continue to recover from the pandemic and are faced with what are global economic challenges.

Boilers: Heat Pumps

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whetherhybrid heating systems combining boilers with heat pumps are along-term option for the future of heating in homes, rather than an interim solution in lieu of installing either a hydrogen boiler or heat pump system.

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role gas and electric hybrid heating systems will play in the longer-term decarbonisation of heat on the gas grid.

Lord Callanan: The Heat and Buildings Strategy acknowledged that hybrid heat pumps could play a transitional role in decarbonising heat in homes. The Government plans to use an upcoming consultation to explore the potential future role of hybrid heat pumps.

Boilers: Heat Pumps

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of which types of home in terms of (1) energy efficiency, and (2) construction, would be the most appropriate to install a hybrid heating system combining boilers with heat pumps.

Lord Callanan: Hybrid installations could potentially play a transitional role in decarbonising heating, especially in homes where building fabric efficiency cannot be sufficiently upgraded making them less suitable for a standalone low temperature heat pump. The Government will consider research and methods for targeting hybrid deployment in buildings in future consultations.

Boilers: Heat Pumps

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the potential deployment rates of heat pumps into heating systems with a gas boiler, and (2) the consequent impact on carbon reduction in the (a) short, (b) medium, and (c) long term.

Lord Callanan: Hybrid heating systems currently make up only a small proportion of the UK’s domestic heating market, with less than 2000 being sold in 2021. The Government plans to use an upcoming consultation to explore the potential future role of hybrid heat pumps. Where a hybrid system is installed with a fossil fuel boiler the emissions savings depend on a number of factors including their usage, design and the thermal efficiency of buildings.

Boilers: Heat Pumps

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have (1) undertaken, or (2) used, to assess the role hybrid heating systems combining boilers with heat pumps can play in decarbonising heat in homes.

Lord Callanan: The Government is collecting data on the in-situ performance, carbon reduction and use of hybrid heat pumps on the gas grid through the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project, which has installed 153 hybrid (including five “compact hybrid”) systems. 75 homes were installed with hybrid heating systems under the Freedom Project over 2017-2018. Hybrids were also installed under the Optimised Retrofit Programme by the Welsh Government. In addition, seven compact hybrid heat pumps have been installed under the Hycompact project.

Biofuels

Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their Biomass Strategy.

Lord Callanan: The Government is actively progressing work on the biomass strategy, including work on the assessment of the priority use of biomass across the economy, which will be explained in the forthcoming strategy. The Government plans to publish the Biomass Strategy in due course.

Department for Education

Schools: Uniforms

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to monitor the impact of the guidance on school uniforms.

Baroness Barran: The department is monitoring the impact of the school uniform guidance through continued engagement with key stakeholders, including via correspondence received by the department from parents, school leaders, and uniform suppliers.While it is the responsibility of school governing boards to determine their uniform policy, we will continue to engage with the sector to ensure that schools are aware of their obligations to comply with the uniform guidance.

Students: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to ensure that financial support given to university students is protected from inflation.

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce targeted hardship funding for university students in England and Wales.

Baroness Barran: Higher education (HE) is a devolved matter and financial support for students in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.Maximum grants and loans for living costs for students in England have been increased by 2.3% this 2022/23 academic year. The government is reviewing options for uprating maximum grants and loans for the 2023/24 academic year and an announcement will follow in the Autumn.Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the 2022/23 financial year has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.In addition, maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the government to pay them remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year, in respect of standard full-time courses.The department is also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. As well as reducing debt levels for students, the continued fee freeze will help to ensure that the HE system remains sustainable while also promoting greater efficiency at providers.The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and impacted students. Many HE providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance.To support disadvantaged students and those in need of additional help, the department has confirmed in our guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for the 2022/23 academic year.The government has also worked closely with the OfS to clarify that English providers can draw upon this funding now, to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by cost-of-living pressures.The Energy Price Guarantee announced on 8 September will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October. This is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.As part of the package of support for rising energy bills, the government is also giving a council tax rebate payment of £150 to households that were living in a property in council tax bands A to D as their main home on 1 April 2022. This includes full-time students that do not live in student halls or in property that is not considered a House in Multiple Occupation for council tax purposes.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual number of reported assaults on (1) prisoners, and (2) prison staff, in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Bellamy: The Department publishes statistics on deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics. The table below shows the requested data, broken down by financial year, from 2012-13 to 2021-22:Financial YearTotal Number of Assaults: Prisoner on Prisoner (1,2,3,4,6)Total Number of Assaults: Prisoner on Prison Staff (1,2,3,5,6)2012-1311,1732,9642013-1411,6513,3722014-1512,9533,8872015-1616,7315,4092016-1719,3607,1592017-1822,3749,0032018-1922,8219,6302019-2020,6329,0202020-2110,9777,0112021-2212,7737,599(1) Figures include incidents at HMPPS operated Immigration Removal Centres and during contracted out escorts (2) Figures do not include incidents at Medway STC. For more information on Secure Training Centres, please see Youth justice annual statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/youth-justice-annual-statistics(3) Figures from April 2018 onwards exclude incidents occurring within the youth estate. The youth estate includes incidents occurring within Cookham Wood, Werrington and Wetherby, as well as the youth wing at Feltham and Parc. Prior to April 2018 these figures were collected via manual returns, so it is not possible to split out all youth estate incidents up to March 2018. Figures for incidents occurring within the youth estate are published within the ‘Safety in the children and young people secure estate’ statistics bulletin via the following link - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/safety-in-the-youth-secure-estate-bulletin(4) Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults are a subset of all assault incidents (5) Assaults on staff are a subset of all assault incidents (6) The sum of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and assaults on staff may not equal the total number of assaults because staff may be assaulted in a prisoner-on-prisoner assault incident and other assault incidents may involve other people, e.g. visitors The Prisons Strategy White Paper set out how we will improve safety and security in our prisons. Prison staff carry out a vital role in protecting the public and we will do all we can to protect them and prisoners from violence.HL2154_data_table (docx, 22.6KB)

Marriage: Humanism

Lord Low of Dalston: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the announcement on marriage reform by the Northern Ireland Department of Finance on 1 July affects legal recognition for humanist marriages in England and Wales.

Lord Bellamy: Since marriage is a devolved matter, any decisions regarding humanist marriages in Northern Ireland will not impact marriage laws in England and Wales.

Reoffenders: Sentencing

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comparative effectiveness of (1) short prison sentences, and (2) community sentences, in reducing and preventing re-offending.

Lord Bellamy: The overall proven reoffending rate has broadly decreased over the past ten years from 30.9% in 2009/2010 to 25.6% in 2019/20 (although the latest figures have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic).Evidence suggests that community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending than short custodial sentences. A MoJ 2019 study, attached, found that the one-year reoffending rate(1) following short term custodial sentences of less than 12 months was higher than if a community sentence had instead been given (by 4 percentage points).Sentencing in individual cases is wholly a matter for our independent courts. Sentencers should continue to have the option of imposing a short custodial sentence where appropriate. However, custody should be a last resort and we recognise that, if we are to break the cycle of re-offending, solutions will often lie in robust and effective community sentences.1 One-year reoffending rate means the percentage of offenders, in any cohort, who were released from custody, or received a non-custodial conviction or a caution, and then went on to commit a subsequent proven offence within a 12 month follow up period (plus a six-month waiting period).HL2155 Annex A (pdf, 344.6KB)

Prison Officers: Labour Turnover

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the turnover of prison officers in each of the last five years, and (2) their ability to recruit prison officers needed to staff any planned new prisons.

Lord Bellamy: The leaving rate for prisons officers can be accessed online through HMPPS workforce quarterly, the most recent of which was for June 2022. The table below contains the leaving rate for Band 3-5 Prison officers in each of past five years:YearLeaving Rate (%)[1]1 April 2017 to 31 March 201810.31 April 2018 to 31 March 201911.51 April 2019 to 31 March 202012.21 April 2020 to 31 March 20219.11 April 2021 to 31 March 202214.51 July 2021 to 30 June 202215.3Source: HMPPS Workforce Quarterly, June 2022[1] Leaving rate denotes the percentage of staff with a permanent contract of employment who left HMPPS, including individuals who have retired early, but excluding staff who left due to voluntary early departure schemes and redundancy (VEDSR).We are addressing recent increases in leaving rates via dedicated recruitment and retention efforts across the board. We are also working to improve the joining experience of new employees, via increased clarity in marketing materials and increased support for new joiners via Apprenticeship coaches and New Colleague Mentors (since April 2022).We hope that the significant rises in pay for prison staff will also help to reduce leaving rates, and we are continuing to use localised market supplements to increase prison officer pay in 18 sites.We are committed to providing the high-quality prison places that are needed over the coming years and ensuring that they are adequately resourced and supported by sufficient prison officer staffing levels, as well as other key members of the workforce such as teachers, instructors, chaplaincy and probation staff.The staffing requirements for new establishments continue to be assessed and factored into vacancies up to 18 months in advance in order to ensure we recruit on time and build up the experience needed to deliver safe and secure regimes

Probation: Costs

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated annual cost of the new dual system which requires Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to further review the Parole Board's recommendation for release of prisoners, including (1) the 21-day waiting period, and (2) the subsequent delay whilst the further confirmation is provided to the appropriate prison and probation staff for subsequent release.

Lord Bellamy: In July 2019 changes were made to the Parole Board Rules to permit the Secretary of State for Justice or the prisoner to apply to the Parole Board for reconsideration of a decision either to release or not release a parole-eligible prisoner. The changes mean that a decision is not final but only provisional for 21 days after the decision is first issued, to allow for the Secretary of State or the prisoner to apply for reconsideration, where they consider that the decision is irrational or was reached in a procedurally-flawed manner. The availability of the reconsideration mechanism has not introduced significant delays or associated additional costs to the release process. HMPPS does not suspend planning for the release of these prisoners during the reconsideration period.The Public Protection Group, a part of HMPPS, set up a team to administer the review of Parole Board release decisions following the introduction of the reconsideration mechanism. The team reviews around 1,700 decisions a year, the annual cost of the team is c£580k.

Money Laundering: Criminal Proceedings

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) prosecutions, and (2) convictions, there have been for money laundering offences in the domestic and corporate property sector in each year from 1 April 2015 to 31 April 2022.

Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of defendants who received prosecutions and convictions for the offence of money laundering, for the years 2017-2021 in the Outcomes by Offence data tool 2021 (file too large to be attached), and for the years 2010-2016 in the Outcomes by Offence tool 2020 (attached).However, the number of defendants who received a prosecution or conviction for money laundering offences specific to the domestic and corporate property sector is not held centrally in the Court Proceedings database. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate cost.Outcomes_by_Offence_2020 (xlsx, 6180.9KB)

Marriage: Humanism

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Law Commission reportCelebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published 19 July, what plans, if any, they have to grant legal recognition to humanist marriages; and on what timescale they plan to grant such recognition.

Lord Bellamy: The Law Commission report contains 57 recommendations for legislative reform.We must now take the time to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations fully. As has been set out in Parliament, marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully, including balancing the needs and interests of all groups. We will publish a response to the report in due course.

Marriage: Humanism

Lord Low of Dalston: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Law Commission review Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published on 19 July, which has called for legal recognition for humanist marriages.

Lord Bellamy: The Law Commission report published on 19 July 2022 did not consider the question of whether non-religious belief organisations, including Humanists, should be able to conduct legally binding weddings. The report contains 57 recommendations for legislative reform .We must now take the time to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations fully. As has been set out in Parliament, marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully, including balancing the needs and interests of all groups. We will publish a response to the report in due course

Marriage: Humanism

Lord Pickles: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will give humanist marriages legal recognition by laying an Order under the Marriage Act 2013; and if so, whether they will consider doing so on an interim basis pending further reform of marriage law.

Lord Bellamy: In July 2019, the Government invited the Law Commission to undertake a review of weddings law in England and Wales. The Law Commission report was published on 19 July 2022 and contains 57 recommendations for legislative reform.To lay an order on an interim basis does not allow the necessary time to consider the Law Commission’s recommendations in full. As has been set out in Parliament, marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully, including balancing the needs and interests of all groups. We will publish a response to the report in due course.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the quality of the (1) work, (2) education, and (3) training, undertaken by prisoners.

Lord Bellamy: We are committed to ensuring quality education and work opportunities for prisoners. We use Ofsted inspections, Select Committee reports and other feedback, in addition to our own performance monitoring, to ensure a robust assessment of the quality of work, education and training. As part of our £200m a year investment to reduce reoffending and cut crime we are delivering a Prisoner Education Service. This will ensure prisoners improve skills such as literacy and numeracy, acquire relevant vocational qualifications, and access employment and training opportunities on release. This includes designing the next generation of education contracts and holding Governors to account to ensure His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and Ofsted recommendations are acted upon and performance targets are achieved. We are also introducing Employment Advisory Boards in 92 prisons, bringing in business leaders to chair these Boards and work with prisons to increase the employability of prisoners and introduce new job and work opportunities.

Prisoners' Transfers: Gender Recognition

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government howmany transfers of trans women prisoners withGender Recognition Certificates housed in the female estate to the male estate have taken place in each of the lastfive years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government howmany transfers of trans women prisoners withoutGender Recognition Certificates housed in the female estate to the male estate have taken place in each of thelast five years.

Lord Bellamy: The number of transfers of transgender women, with or without a GRC, from the female estate to the male estate in the last 5 years has been as follows:2018: 5 or fewer2019: 5 or fewer2020: 5 or fewer2021: 5 or fewer2022: 5 or fewer (to date)(Please note: when disclosing data there is a disclosure control rule that if the number is below 6 it is stated as ‘5 or fewer’, which can include 0)

Downview Prison: Gender Recognition

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government howmany separate transfers of trans women prisoners with Gender Recognition Certificates to E Wing at HMP Downview havetaken place each year since the unit re-opened in 2019.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatis the (1) maximum, (2) minimum, and (3) median, length of stay for trans women prisoners withGender Recognition Certificates on E Wing at HMP Downview.

Lord Bellamy: The number of separate transfers of transgender women with Gender Recognition Certificates to E wing since 2019 has been as follows:2019: 5 or fewer2020: 5 or fewer2021: 5 or fewer2022: 5 or fewer (to date)(Please note: when disclosing data there is a disclosure control rule that if the number is below 6 it is stated as ‘5 or fewer’, which can include 0)The maximum length of stay on E wing was 35 months, the minimum length was one month, and the median length is 8.5 months.

Treasury

Pay: Inflation

Lord Hendy: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking toensure that wage levels keep pace with inflation.

Baroness Penn: The government understands that people across the UK are worried about the rising cost of living. On 8 September, the government announced that the Energy Price Guarantee will supersede the energy price cap, which means that a typical UK household will pay no more than £2500 a year on their energy bill over the next 2 years from 1 October. To address cost of living in the longer term, it is important that we help people into work, support them to increase their incomes and ensure they keep more of what they earn. In April, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 6.6% to £9.50 an hour for workers aged 23 and over, which is expected to benefit more than 2 million workers. This means an increase of over £1,000 to the annual earnings of a full-time worker on the NLW. We are also supporting people to improve their earnings prospects and support their success in the labour market. At Spending Review 2021, the government confirmed that it is investing a total of £3.8 billion in skills in England by 2024-25. More broadly, our economic plan will be pro-growth. As a matter of priority, the Chancellor will set out a package of measures to deliver on the Prime Minister’s commitment to cut taxes and boost growth, laying the groundwork for the change we need in the long term to make our economy stronger.

Bank Services: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to help British expatriates whose banking facilities in the UK are being closed as a result of Brexit.

Baroness Penn: The provision of banking services, including whether UK firms can service EEA-based customers, is a commercial decision for firms based on a variety of factors, including the local law and regulation of individual countries, an assessment of profitability or other commercial drivers. The Government does not intervene in these commercial decisions. Nonetheless, the Government expects banks to act lawfully and in accordance with local regulators’ expectations. We also expect that banks work to ensure good outcomes for their customers and provide timely communications to enable them to make appropriate decisions. UK providers are expected to contact impacted customers if they need to make any changes to their product or the way it is provided. We encourage customers with questions or concerns to speak to their banking service provider.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of adults (1) in paid work, and (2) not in paid work, who have incomes below the income tax threshold.

Baroness Penn: Estimates of the number of adults in paid work and not in paid work who have incomes below the Income Tax Personal Allowance during the 2019-20 tax year, the latest year for which these figures are available, are set out below.  Estimated number of adults in 2019-20 (millions)Paid work10.2Not in paid work6.7Total16.9 Source: Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2019 to 2020  The Income Tax Personal Allowance for the 2019-20 tax year is £12,500. The adult population (individuals aged 18 and over) in paid work is based on individuals with employment and/or self-employment income. Other income amounts such as occupational or State pension is not included as paid work but individuals with incomes such as pensions could be in either category. The data underlying the Survey of Personal Incomes is based on a large sample of over 820,000 individuals with incomes reported to HMRC. As is the case with the published Personal Incomes Statistics, these figures are statistical estimates and will be subject to sampling variation.

Property Development: Money Laundering

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of anti-money laundering regulations in the domestic and corporate property sector.

Baroness Penn: The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLRs) require regulated businesses, including estate and lettings agents, to have robust controls in place to prevent abuse for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing. The MLRs are not prescriptive in setting out how firms should carry out customer due diligence. However they do require these firms, which are key facilitators of property transactions, to take a proportionate and risk based approach to checks on all involved parties. HMRC is the designated AML supervisor for estate and letting agents. HMRC provides guidance to businesses to support compliance and has powers to enforce penalties in response to breaches of the MLRs, including imposing fines. HM Treasury published a review of the UK’s anti-money laundering/countering-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) regulatory and supervisory regime in June 2022. This review assessed the effectiveness of the MLRs and found that the regulations are comprehensive, robust and allow for firms to take a risk-based approach to target their activity at the areas of highest risk. It also set out plans for future work to strengthen the UK’s AML regime, including a consultation on further reform to the supervisory regime.

Cycle to Work Scheme

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of reforming theCycle to Work Scheme to broaden access to (1) those earning at, or near, the National Minimum Wage, and (2) those who are self-employed.

Baroness Penn: The Government has committed over £2 billion of investment in cycling and walking during this Parliament to deliver on the commitments made in the ‘Gear Change’ walking and cycling strategy. This set out the Government’s vision for cycling and walking to be the natural first choice for many journeys, with the ambition that half of all short journeys in towns and cities will be walked or cycled by 2030. In line with this vision, the Department for Transport continues to publicise guidance for businesses, large and small, on the different ways they can promote cycling and walking, including the Cycle to Work Scheme.It is encouraging that there has been an increased uptake of the Cycle to Work Scheme, particularly amongst key workers, over the last few years. Government officials are currently undertaking a programme of research to better understand the success of the Cycle to Work Scheme, including motivations for employees joining the Scheme. Any changes to the Scheme will be considered following this programme.

Electric Scooters: Imports

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of e-scooters imported into the UK in (1) 2020, (2) 2021, and (3) 2022.

Baroness Penn: HMRC is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website. From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria. Classification codes (according to the Harmonised System) are available to assist you in accessing published trade statistics data in the UK Global Tariff. Goods moving to and from the UK are identified by an eight-digit commodity code. These are publicly available from the UK Trade Tariff on the gov.uk website. HMRC are unable to provide the requested information due to the way E-scooters are classified. E-scooters do not have their own specific commodity code. Instead, they are classified within more general codes, dependent on a few factors. For example, commodity code 8711601000 covers bicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles, with pedal assistance, with an auxiliary electric motor, and with a continuous rated power not exceeding 250 watts. However, there are other commodity codes that could also be applicable to E-scooters. More information about any specific commodity code within the UK Trade Tariff can be accessed via UK import and export statistics on the UK trade information website.

Ministry of Defence

Aircraft Carriers: F-35 Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government whether all UK F35 jets deployed for UK carrier operations off the Eastern seaboard of the USA will be embarked in the ship with their maintainers and aircrew.

Baroness Goldie: The next period of F-35B Lightning activity on UK Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers off the Eastern seaboard of the USA will be a four-week test period conducted by the Joint Programme Office (JPO) Integrated Test Force (ITF) using embarked ITF aircraft, maintainers, support personnel and pilots.Whenever UK F-35B Lightning aircraft are embarked on Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers the required complement of maintainers, support personnel and pilots are embarked to meet the directed operational output.

F-35 Aircraft: Crew

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fully trained F35B pilotsare in (1) the Royal Navy, and (2) the Royal Air Force; and how many are night-qualified for carrier operations.

Baroness Goldie: The UK Lightning Force is fully capable of meeting its currently mandated operational outputs including commitments to support the Very High Readiness Carrier Strike Group. However, I am withholding the number of personnel, as disclosure would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.F-35B Lightning aircraft are operated jointly within the UK Lightning Force, with all units manned by both Royal Air Force and Royal Navy personnel. There is no delineation between Services.

F-35 Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government for how many days in the first six months of 2022 were UK F35s embarked on (1) HMS Queen Elizabeth, and (2) HMS Prince of Wales, at sea; what numbers were embarked on each ship each day; how many flying hours were conducted each day; and how many pilots were of the (a) Royal Navy, and (b) Royal Air Force, for each day.

Baroness Goldie: Assuming the question relates to embarked flying hours, in the first six months of 2022, zero F-35s have been embarked on Queen Elizabeth Carriers (QEC) at sea. Therefore, zero flying hours have been conducted and pilots from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have not been required.The composition and size of an embarked air group in a deploying carrier will be tailored to meet operational requirement - the operational tasking of the QEC in the first six months of 2022 has not required F-35s to be embarked.

Defence: Finance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Defence in an interview with Sky News on 26 July, whether they estimate that defence spending on present plans willdrop below two per cent of GDP by 2026.

Baroness Goldie: The Department does not routinely publish forecast figures. The current Spending Review (SR2021) will last until 2025. Future spending decisions are for the next spending review.

AUKUS

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government who, if anyone, in the UK plays the equivalent role to that played by Mr Abraham Denmark, who was appointed by the Secretary of State for Defence in the United States of America to "coordinate efforts across the Department delivering the AUKUS partnership to help Australia establish a conventionally armed, nuclear powered submarine capability and to accelerate development of advanced capabilities to serve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific".

Baroness Goldie: The UK welcomes the appointment of Mr Denmark to the Department of Defense. The National Security Adviser is the Senior Responsible Officer for AUKUS in the UK and the Cabinet Office is responsible for coordinating cross-departmental efforts.The Ministry of Defence's Permanent Secretary, as the Defence accounting officer, is responsible for AUKUS capability development objectives.

Russia: Armed Forces

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of President Putin’s Decree No. 512 on the UK’s maritime strategy.

Baroness Goldie: The 2021 Integrated Review (IR) of Defence outlined Russia as the most acute threat to our security. We continue to assess the threat posed by Russia, and beyond. Russia's recent maritime activity, as set out in Decree No. 512, presents challenges which impact upon the interests of the UK, our Allies and partners. Growing our maritime capabilities will enable the projection of power further afield and the conduct of operations from increased range. We continue to remain vigilant that Russia continues to invest in and is developing significant underwater capabilities, including deep-sea capabilities which can threaten undersea cables, as well as a torpedo capable of delivering a nuclear payload to coastal targets.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to increase the (1) availability, and (2) use of, the British Army's Armoured Fighting Vehicles fleet.

Baroness Goldie: To meet the current and future threats, the Army is aiming to be "More Ready", which includes increasing the availability and readiness of our Armoured Fighting Vehicle fleet (AFVs).In addition to increased activity across Europe in support of NATO, there has also been a significant increase in the Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) placed within units. This means the vehicles are maintained and utilised more by personnel, rather than being held in storage. Similarly, an enlarged training fleet of AFVs has allowed for increased AFV driver and commander training to be carried out.

F-35 Aircraft: Software

Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK's fleet of F35B jet fighters has been supplied with the software necessary to allow fully autonomous mission planning.

Baroness Goldie: The UK Lightning Force is designed, operated and supported in a manner which provides full Sovereign freedom of action in all operational contexts, from mission planning through to execution.

Dockyards

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of urgent short-term dry docking requirements for the Royal Navy, given the break down of HMS Prince of Wales.

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toensure there are adequate dry docking facilities available within the UK to guarantee that the Royal Navy has access for urgent repairs.

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the reliance on one dry dock facility in the UK by the Royal Navy given the susceptibility (1) to enemy attack, and (2)to occupation by other vessels.

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence has adequate plans to deal with urgent dry docking requirements for all class of ships operated by the Royal Navy. Where there is not a sovereign dock capability, there are arrangements to use commercial facilities and there is no reliance on a single facility to undertake dry dock maintenance.Maintenance and dry docking requirements, outside of an urgent requirement, are carefully planned in order to maintain the availability of Royal Navy ships.

Reserve Forces: Reviews

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish their response to the report of the Reserve Forces Review 2030, published in May 2021.

Baroness Goldie: Work is underway across Defence to transform the systems, policies and processes by which we draw on and leverage the critical contributions made by our Reserve Forces, informed by the vision set out in the Reserves Forces 2030 Review. The Government will provide an update on this work, and a response to the Reserves Forces 2030 Review, in due course.

Autonomous Weapons

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence on 18 July (HC Deb col 688) that "autonomy is increasingly the key to the successful generation of overwhelming force in the battle space" and that "a more lethal force—even a bigger force—does not necessarily acquire more workforce in the future", what assessment they have made of (1) the compatibility of these remarks with the answer byBaroness Goldie on 1 November 2021 (HL Deb, col 995) that "UK Armed Forces do not use systems that employ lethal force without context-appropriate human involvement", and (2) the implications of these remarks for risks of strategic instability.

Baroness Goldie: AI may not inherently reduce workforce requirements, but it is likely to change the activities we need people to undertake. Across the workforce, AI and autonomous systems offer opportunities to remove people from ‘dull, dirty and dangerous’ tasks. This will enable us to focus our people on those areas where they can add particular value, in the context of Human Machine Teams. Machines are good at doing things right; people are good at doing the right things, and context-appropriate human involvement will be essential for the ethical and legal use of AI-enabled weapon systems. We strongly believe that such systems can and must be used lawfully and ethically, and we will promote security and stability by working closely with allies and partners to build consensus, promote a common vision for the safe, responsible and ethical use of these technologies globally, and push for compliance with International Humanitarian Law.

Defence: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms they are considering for compliance or oversight of the use of artificial intelligence in defence; and, in particular, whether mechanisms they are considering include (1) an internal artificial intelligence regulator, (2) the conversion of the principles included in the Defence Artificial Intelligence Strategy, published on 15 June, to specific standards and procedures, and (3) a means to ensure that weapons systems developed, acquired or deployed by the Ministry of Defence comply with any such standards and procedures.

Baroness Goldie: The internal regulation and governance of standards for AI use in Defence are currently subject to extensive work across the Department. Officials and military colleagues are developing frameworks to assess risk and ensure compliance, across the full spectrum of AI functionality.Key aspects of this will include requiring Front-Line Commands and equivalent organisations within Defence to appoint 'Accountable Officers' ensuring oversight for AI activity and developing the capacity of the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre to provide technical oversight and coordinated advice to all units across Defence. We are exploring how the Defence Safety Authority will consider AI within the wider issues across its current remit as the existing independent safety regulator.

F-35 Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government when 809 Squadron will be formed.

Baroness Goldie: 809 Naval Air Squadron is due to stand up on 1 April 2023.

Autonomous Weapons

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement in policy document Ambitious, Safe and Responsible: Our approach to the delivery of AI enabled capability in Defence, published on 15 June, that global governance for autonomous weapons systems is "a difficult task", how they plan to respond strategically to identified challenges of global governance in this area; and, in any such strategic response, how they intend to fulfil the aims set out in theIntegrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published on 16 March 2021, in relation to international legal, ethical and regulatory standards on responsible development and use of artificial intelligence.

Baroness Goldie: The Department is developing its plans to implement its Defence AI Strategy, to address broader strategic issues arising from the Integrated Review. We will work with partners to mitigate the potential impacts of AI, including its proliferation, misuse and potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation.Particularly relevant fora include the UN-brokered discussions under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), AI Partnership for Defence and NATO; as well as broader discussions on the development of AI within the Global Partnership on AI, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. Compliance with International Humanitarian Law will remain at the core of our current and future standards, which will be rigorously applied to all AI use in Defence.

Autonomous Weapons

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement in the policy documentAmbitious, Safe and Responsible - Our approach to the delivery of AI-enabled capability in Defence, published on 15 June, that there must be "context appropriate human involvement in weapons which identify, select and attack targets", what plans they have to elaborate on the concept of "context appropriate human involvement" to ensure that relevant officers in (1) the Ministry of Defence, and (2) HM Armed Forces, have operational guidance on the acceptability of particular weapons, practices and uses.

Baroness Goldie: MOD officials and Military colleagues are currently exploring processes for the delivery of the approaches set out in the Ambitious, Safe, Responsible policy. This will include a consideration of AI across the system lifecycle, including further elaboration of the concept of 'context appropriate human involvement'.With respect to the acceptability of particular weapons, the Additional Protocol 1 (AP 1), Article 36 of the Geneva Convention 1977, requires States to determine whether new weapons, means or methods of warfare may be employed lawfully under International Law. The United Kingdom takes this obligation very seriously, and UK weapon reviews are undertaken by serving military lawyers on the staff of the Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC). This assessment will then be fed into usage instructions and authorities on particular systems to ensure that the parameters of lawful and responsible use are fully understood in any particular case.

Department for Work and Pensions

Cost of Living Payments: Universal Credit

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of Universal Credit claimants who did not qualify for the first cost of living additional payment because of the way their wages were paid during the qualifying month.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: We do not currently hold this information. We have deliberately kept the rules for these payments as simple as possible. This is the only way we can ensure that we can develop the systems and processes required to make these payments. Unfortunately, it is not possible to distinguish between those that have had a permanent increase to their earnings, and those whose earnings are temporarily fluctuating. If a UC claimant’s income subsequently falls, these claimants will return to having a positive award after the cut-off date and may be eligible for the second Cost of Living Payment, worth £324.

Carers: Employment

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so when, they will publishthe research on barriers to carers’ employment mentioned in theletter from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to the Chair of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee, dated 15 July; and if not,why not.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: We are currently considering the results from the research, and should we decide to publish any findings, we will of course ensure that they are made available to both Houses.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Land

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the CPRE report Building on our Food Security, published on 22 July, which identified a hundredfold increase in house and infrastructure construction on prime agricultural land since 2010.

Lord Benyon: We welcome the CPRE report and analysis on development on prime agricultural land. This report highlights some of the ongoing and emerging challenges of use of land to achieve food security, housing need and energy security.The Government recognises the importance of food security, which is why we published the Food Strategy earlier this year. The Food Strategy puts food security at the heart of the government's vision for the food sector. It aims to broadly maintain the current level of food that we produce domestically and boost production in sectors where there are the biggest opportunities. We are seeking to deliver as much as we can on our limited supply of land, to meet the whole range of Government commitments on food, housing, climate, and the environment. To help achieve this, we will publish a Land Use Framework in 2023 which will set out land-use change principles to balance these outcomes.The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to ensure that planning policy continues to support agriculture and food production as well as delivering other goals for housing, infrastructure and the environment.

Home Office

Slavery

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of section 65 (Temporary Leave) of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 on the victims of modern slavery.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Section 65 of the Nationality and Borders Act confirms in primary legislation the provision of temporary permission to stay for confirmed victims of modern slavery where it is necessary, and unless relevant exemptions apply, to assist in their recovery from physical or psychological harm related to their exploitation, to enable them to claim compensation or to enable their co-operation in bringing their exploiters to justice. This will bring clarity to both victims and decision makers on when victims will and won’t be eligible for permission to stay.We will keep the implementation of reforms in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 under close review.The government has completed a full economic and equalities impact assessment and we will review the impact of section 65 going forward where necessary.

Seasonal Workers: Horticulture

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of visas for seasonal workers given the estimated £60 million losses by the horticultural industry for the first half of this year's growing season.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Seasonal Worker route was extended into this year, with 38,000 visas available, to support our farmers growing fruit and vegetables as they adapt to changes in the UK labour market. The new Government will keep the position on seasonal workers under close review.

British Nationality: Children

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 6 July (HL Deb cols 1067–71),what discussions they have had with the Project for the Registration of Children regarding the criticisms made of the (1) guidance, and (2) application process, for the discretionary waiver; and what further consideration they have given to (a) the deletion from the guidance of reference to the impact on the funding of the immigration system, and (b) how to report to Parliament on the ongoing monitoring of the application of the waiver.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Whilst no discussions have taken place with the Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens on the guidance and application process for the discretionary fee waiver for child registration applications to date, the department is open to feedback on where improvements could be made. It is actively undertaking its own evaluation of this new service to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.Regarding the reference in the guidance to the impact on the funding of the immigration system, as noted in Baroness Williams’ remarks of 6 July, nationality fees are part of a system of fees and funding that was established through the Immigration Act 2014 and the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Order 2016, that underpins the overall policy of minimising the reliance on the UK taxpayer. The department maintains the view that the reference in the guidance is a relevant consideration in the overall affordability assessment undertaken by caseworkers.The Home Office is monitoring the numbers of applications received, approved or rejected. It is considering the best mechanism for updating Parliament with this information at the earliest appropriate opportunity.

Nationality and Borders Act 2022

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government which sections of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 that allow the Secretary of State to make regulations (1) have, and (2) have not, been used to make such regulations.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (“the Act”) achieved Royal Assent on 28th April 2022.The provisions set out in section 87(3) and (4) of the Act came into force immediately upon Royal Assent. The provisions set out in section 87(5) of the Act came into force on 28th June 2022. The provisions listed in Schedule 1 of the Act (Commencement No. 1, Transitional and Saving Provisions) came into force on 28th June 2022 and the provisions listed in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2022 came into force on 24th August 2022.Implementation of the Act to date has been through the following pieces of secondary legislation:The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (Commencement, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2022The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2022The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2022The Slavery and Human Trafficking (Definition of Victim) Regulations 2022The British Nationality (General, British Overseas Territories and Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2022The Terrorism Act 2000 (Code of Practice for Examining Officers and Review Officers) Order 2022There have also been changes to the Immigration Rules made during 2022 in relation to the implementation of the Act.The remaining measures will be implemented over the coming months and into next year.

British Nationality: Assessments

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 26 July (HL2043), how many unannounced inspections of Life in the UK test centres have taken place in each year since 2010.

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 26 July (HL2043), how many individuals make up an unannounced inspection team of Life in the UK test centres; and how many unannounced inspections have led to the closure of test centres or dismissals of staff.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Information is not publicly available in a reportable format. Unannounced inspections have recently restarted following a suspension as a result of Covid restrictions. The last inspection before the suspension took place in February 2020.

Mike Veale

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the legally qualified chair in charge of the misconduct hearing that is to be convened for Mike Veale, former Chief Constable of Cleveland Police.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Arrangements concerning the misconduct hearing for Mike Veale, former Chief Constable of Cleveland Police, are a matter for the Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Cleveland.

Migrant Workers: Health Professions

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many medical professionals from other countries are currently waiting for their applications for immigration status in the UK to be considered.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office does not publish data on the number of visas dealt with by profession.

Home Office: Teleperformance

Lord Rosser: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the termination date for Teleperformance's contract to provide overseas helpline services on behalf of the Home Office; and what assessment they have made of complaints against Teleperformance in relation to Home Office services including (1) the number of complaints made in relation to passports, and (2) the total compensation awarded to customers in relation to complaints.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The contract relating to the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) international Contact Centre service, delivered by Teleperformance, runs from March 2021 until October 2024. Any complaints made against the UKVI Contact Centre services, which Teleperformance deliver, are managed and monitored by UKVI to ensure that any emerging issues and trends are picked up and remedial action is put in place to ensure no future complaints occur.The UKVI Contact Centre service has not received any complaints relating to passports. Where customers are complaining about the return of their passports this would fall to the appropriate UKVI business area to handle.We do not hold the data relating to how much compensation has been issued in relation to contact made to the UKVI Contact Centre, as this is held by Teleperformance.Teleperformance also provide contact centre services for His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO), the Passport Adviceline and Validation service. The contract for this service runs from 1 November 2019 to 31 October 2024.The total number of complaints regarding Teleperformance made to HMPO relating to passports this year is 658. The data regarding compensation for these specific cases is not held in a reportable format and therefore it could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Fire Prevention

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to prevent further wildfires.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office works across Government with a wide range of stakeholders including the National Fire Chiefs Council, England and Wales Wildfire Forum and other Departments and Agencies including Defra and the Met Office to promote planning and prevention for wildfire incidents in England. At a local level, each Fire and Rescue Authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfires) through their Integrated Risk Management Plan. This will include plans to prevent and respond to incidents and Fire and Rescue Services will have regard in their planning to other key local responders including landowners and other emergency services.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Parish and Town Councils: Carer's Allowance

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Greenhalgh on 9 November (HL3455), when they now expect to respond to the proposal under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 made by Weymouth Town Council in December 2019 for the dependent carer's allowance to be extended to parish and town councils.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The Government is keen to ensure that local communities are well represented in local authorities, and that all levels of local government are supported to create thriving local democracies.We are considering this matter and will respond to Weymouth Town Council's proposal in due course.

Housing: Construction

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase (1) energy, and (2) water, efficiency in new housing.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: From 2025, the Future Homes Standard will ensure that new homes produce at least 75% fewer CO2 emissions compared to those built to the 2013 standards.  In December 2021 the Government introduced an uplift in energy efficiency standards, which came into force in June 2022. The uplift delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions and provides a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standard. New homes are now expected to produce around 30% fewer CO2 emissions compared to the previous 2013 standards.With regard to water, the Government continues to review options regarding improving efficiency and will come forward with further information in due course.

Freeports

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government where are the freeports in (1) England, (2) Wales, and (3) Scotland; and whether they intendto establish a freeport in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: In March 2021, the Chancellor announced 8 locations as winners of the English Freeports competition: East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich (Freeport East), Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth & South Devon, Solent, Teesside, and Thames. Subsequently, Freeports have been working with government to develop business cases and secure the necessary designations in law. Tax sites have now been designated in all English Freeports and customs sites have been designated in Teesside, Thames and, more recently, Solent Freeports.The UK government is investing £52 million to bring two Green Freeports to Scotland. Bidding has now closed, and we are working jointly with the Scottish Government to jointly assess bids to ensure they meet our shared goals, ahead of announcing winners later in the autumn.A Welsh Freeport will be backed by £26 million in UK Government funding. The prospectus was published 01 September and it expected that the successful Freeport location will be announced later this year.We are committed to extending the Freeports programme to Northern Ireland as soon as possible.

Homelessness: Death

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many homeless people have died onthe streetin each of the last five years.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The Office for National Statistics began to produce estimates of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales in 2017 and the most recent publication covered deaths in 2020. There were an estimated 688 deaths of homeless people registered in England and Wales in 2020, 778 estimated deaths in 2019, 726 deaths in 2018 and 597 in 2017.These statistics are published online at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsofhomelesspeopleinenglandandwales/previousReleasesThese statistics do not indicate whether deaths occurred on the street or within accommodation. The definition of homelessness used in these statistics follows from what is available in death registrations data to identify affected individuals, which mainly includes people sleeping rough or using emergency accommodation such as homeless shelters and direct access hostels, at or around the time of death.The Government is committed to ending rough sleeping and has published a strategy backed by £2 billion setting out how we will achieve that.Deaths of homeless people England and Wales 2017  (docx, 49.4KB)Deaths of homeless people England and Wales 2018 (docx, 40.4KB)Deaths of homeless people England and Wales 2019 (docx, 41.4KB)

Voting Rights: Anniversaries

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have made for national celebrations of the 100th anniversary of full enfranchisement in 2028.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The Government has no plans at this time for national celebrations to mark the centenary of full enfranchisement in 2028.

Carbon Dioxide: Alarms

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise their regulations on carbon monoxide alarms in accommodation to reflect the safety warning issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards on 15 August on the use of gas grills.

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The Government takes the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning in rented accommodation very seriously. For this reason, we have introduced legislation which comes into force on 1 October 2022 significantly to extend requirements for carbon monoxide alarms, so that they are required in all private and socially rented homes in rooms with fixed combustion appliances and where new fixed combustion appliances are installed in any home.Consideration was given during the consultation process to including gas cookers (which would include the use of gas grills) in this legislation. The evidence available at the time of consultation showed that gas cookers are responsible for fewer incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning than gas boilers and that, as such, the inclusion of gas cookers within the regulations would be disproportionate. This view was broadly reflected in the responses to the consultation.Given the imminent commencement of the regulations, there are no current plans to revise the 1 October 2022 regulations. The regulations are, however, subject to review in the future, and we may re-consider the case for inclusion of gas cookers, or other appliances, if required.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Developing Countries

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government when their plans to grant enhanced trading status to eight developing countries including Syria will come into effect; and whether this will help the reconstruction of war damage in Syria, in particular to (1) schools, (2) hospitals, and (3) homes.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Developing Countries Trading Scheme is expected to come into force in early 2023 and will include enhanced preferential tariffs for eight countries including Syria. Robust sanctions will ensure that where this changes trade with Syria, the regime will not benefit. The UK has committed over £3.8 billion to the Syria crisis. We will not provide long-term reconstruction assistance without a commitment to a political process from the regime. We will continue to offer significant humanitarian and early recovery support so ordinary Syrians have the means to build a better future, including through programmes such as the Syria Education Project.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Forests: West Midlands

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure the Urban Forest is preserved in its entirety as stipulated in the Deed of Dedication between the Millennium Commission and Sandwell Metropolitan Council.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The responsibility for enforcing Deeds entered into by the Millennium Commission is now the responsibility of the Big Lottery Fund (operating as The National Lottery Community Fund) which carries out those functions in accordance with their regulations and directions from DCMS and in line with current policies relating to the administration of legacy funders such as the Millennium Commission.The National Lottery Community Fund is a non-departmental public body which means that it operates at arm’s-length from Government and, as a distributor of Lottery money, rather than of taxpayers’ funds, it makes its funding decisions independently. The Government cannot, therefore, intervene in or influence the Fund’s decision-making process.

Millennium Commission

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) body, or (2) bodies, took over the responsibilities of the Millennium Commission when itdisbandedin 2006.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Big Lottery Fund (operating as The National Lottery Community Fund) took on the property, rights and liabilities of the Millennium Commission when it ceased to exist by virtue of the National Lottery Act 2006.The National Lottery Community Fund is a non-departmental public body which means that it operates at arm’s-length from Government and that, as a distributor of Lottery money, rather than of taxpayers’ funds, it makes its funding decisions independently.

Project Gigabit: East Sussex

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to involve community groups in the delivery of Project Gigabit in East Sussex.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: As part of Project Gigabit, His Majesty’s Government is investing up to £210 million in the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme to support rural communities with the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections.The Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme provides a micro-grant of up to £1,500 for residents and up to £3,500 for businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband. It enables households and businesses to club together to increase the total subsidy of a project to cover most or all of the costs for installation to eligible areas.Vouchers are a key tool in incentivising and encouraging suppliers to connect some of the hardest-to-reach premises in the UK. Community groups across East Sussex have played a vital role in the delivery of voucher projects to date, and will continue to do so.So far, more than 500 premises in the county have claimed and received payment for a voucher, with more than 700 additional premises awaiting connection for a combined value of over £2.3 million.We have also sought information from communities as part of our Public Review process in preparation for the Project Gigabit regional supplier procurement for East Sussex. Alongside the Open Market Reviews, these processes enable us to determine where build is likely and where Government subsidy through Project Gigabit is required.

Project Gigabit: East Sussex

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rollout of Project Gigabit in East Sussex.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: In March 2021 we launched Project Gigabit, our £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Project Gigabit’s objective is to level up the UK by giving hard-to-reach areas access to gigabit-capable internet speeds and, coupled with commercial gigabit delivery, ensuring almost all of the UK has access to gigabit-capable internet as soon as possible.Our Project Gigabit procurements are prioritising delivery to rural, hard-to-reach premises and to those with the lowest broadband speeds and we have made excellent progress in preparation for the regional supplier procurement covering East Sussex. Following early market engagement in the region, BDUK has recently taken the decision to accelerate the delivery of the Project Gigabit procurement covering East Sussex to align with the procurements in West Sussex and Kent.This decision was taken following early market engagement activity, where suppliers indicated a strong interest in combining a cross-boundary project across the three counties of East Sussex, West Sussex and Kent.This is good news for constituents in East Sussex and further details on the revised procurement timetable for East Sussex will be announced in due course.Alongside our Project Gigabit procurements, we are investing up to £210 million in the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme to support rural communities with the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections. East Sussex has made excellent use of the scheme so far, with more than 500 premises in the region having claimed and received payment for a voucher, with more than 700 additional premises awaiting connection for a combined value of over £2.3 million.